Just over a week ago, the name Jack Taylor may not have meant much to many people.

But last Tuesday, the Grinnell (Iowa) College sophomore guard made sure his name would never be forgotten.

Taylor's name will be etched into the record books for years to come.

Breaking a record that was set more than a half-century ago wasn't necessarily the most impressive part. The sheer size of his accomplishment was what made jaws drop around the nation: Taylor scored 138 points in a Grinnell College victory over Faith Baptist Bible College. His point total was good enough for an NCAA record regardless of division, crushing the record of Clarence "Bevo" Francis, of Rio Grande, who scored 113 points in a game in 1954.

"I wasn't shocked that he achieved something really good," said Tim Crouch, former assistant and now head coach of the Mercersburg Academy boys' basketball team. "I think that anybody could score that many points in a game is certainly shocking, but that it would befall someone like Jack Taylor is not surprising."

Although Taylor grew up in Wisconsin, he spent a year as a post graduate student at Mercersburg Academy in 2009-10. Just eight games into the year, Taylor tore an anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season in disappointment.

But, in just a short period of time, Taylor made a big impact on the Blue Storm.

"First of all, he was just a great teammate," then-head coach Mark Cubit said. "He's a really dynamic leader.

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Everything about the kid you have to like. I think that enabled him to be the kind of scorer he is without any jealously from anyone else. He's just a fantastic kid."

At Mercersburg, he averaged 11.1 points per game - good enough for third on the team. Even after his injury, Taylor remained a positive influence at Mercersburg.

"As it was, while he was hurt, he was a good presence on the bench, even when it would've been easy for him to check out," Crouch said.

Cubit said he expected Taylor would have been an all-star in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League had it not been for the injury.

Taylor's recent feats certainly proved his talents.

The 138-point total wasn't his only accomplishment. Taylor also broke NCAA records for field goals (52), field goals attempted (108), 3-pointers made (27) and 3-point attempts (71).

"He can run up and down the court with the best of them, but to have that much energy to even take 100 shots is crazy," Cubit said. "One hundred thirty eight points - that's just unbelievable. I don't think anybody could expect that."

Taylor also broke an NCAA Div. III record by scoring 28 consecutive points, including eight 3-pointers.

Although Mercersburg didn't get to revel in the talents of Taylor as much as it may have liked, his presence is still remembered by the Blue Storm coaching staff.

"His injury was devastating for our team because he was a very dynamic scorer and player," Crouch said. "He was kind of the heart and soul of our team in such a short period of time. I have a great impression of Jack Taylor, both as a player and a young man."

Through all the media attention Taylor has received, Cubit said he has been very impressed Taylor has remained true to himself.

"When he was on TV with ESPN and he was on a late-night show, I saw a Skype interview with him, and he was just his normal self," Cubit said. "I'm really happy for him. He's just a beautiful kid."

Taylor was unavailable for comment - Grinnell has limited his contact with the media.

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Lizi Arbogast can be reached at 262-4788 or larbogast@publicopinionnews.com.